The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-03-27
REVOLVING WICKEDNESS
In THE FILTHY, NASTY DENS AND
DIVES OF NEW YORK.
What Mayor Hewitt is Doing to Close
Them and Save the Young PeO-
pie of That City.
IspIoIAL CORRESPONDENTS OF THE APPEAL. |

lsPIoIAL CORRESPONDENTS OF THE APPEAL
New YORK, March 25.-"If a
man could sit in the most vicious of
New York resorts" said Henry
Ward Beecher to me, land shut his
eyes and ears to all except the clean,
rough humor, such place would be
a delightful resort to me. We had
been talking OF the question whether
New York or London contained the
more revolving wickedness, and he
was arguing that American humor
permeated even our badness in way
quite unknown in the English city.
was reminded of the dead preach
er's remark yesterday, when, in the
Chambers Street Hospital, | saw a
surgical friend dressing a scalp
wound on tough's head. 1t was a
deep, ugly cut, and | asked how it
had been in inflicted.
Funny business" tersely replied
the patient.
THAT exactly describes it, laugh
ed the surgeon. This chap is
waiter in the Jim Fisk restaurant, in
Chatham street. That's cheap and
rough establishment, you know; and
the service is more rapid than polite.
Well, this individual seems to have
been the comedian of the house. A
customer ate there an hour ago and
demanded his check, This waiter
gave it to him and received into his
palm a dime. It's twenty cents, an
you pays at the desk, he said. All
right, said the customer, but the
dime is tip for you A fee in the
Jim Fisk restaurant! No such thing
had ever been heard Of. Our friend
wished to adequately express his in
tense emotion. His conception was
that a back fall to the floor, like
stage hero knocked senselesI, would
be very humorous indeed. He exc
cuted it. There happened to be
piece of iron hoop in the sawdust.
That was what SO nearly turned his
farce into tragedy"
Mayor Hewitt's seemingly genuine
crusade against the vicious resorts
puts the proprietors on their pins to
avoid trouble. Among the harassed
places is the notorious Haymarket,
whose name suggests its traffic about
as well as July does snow storm.
Thus far the proprietors Of this con-
Germ have escaped serious trouble, but
test case will be tried against them
shortly. Their ingenious plan is this:
The premises are formally leased
every night to club or society for a
ball. Money is actually passed from
the representatives of the club to the
proprietors, and the contract put in
writing and signed. Before the po-
lice begin to make obnoxious in
quiries, everybody, women excepted,
had to pay % cents for admission.
Once inside, the visitor was RECALLED
with dancing, generally very dull, and
the privilege of treating ladies to
strong drink for which he paid liber-
ally. The place had no license for
anything of this sort, but by an odd
quirk in the laws a club may engage
in dancing with hired music, provided
the admission is by invitation, and
may also serve itself with refresh
ments. Accordingly, no one can get
admission to the Haymarket nowwith
out an invitation from a member of
the club that holds the lease for the
evening. To do this, the young man
about town or from the rural dis
tricts who desires to see this particu-
lar sight is obliged to go to the box
office and ask for ticket, whichsis
delivered on the payment of the
customary quarter, If he looks at
the ticket he will read: You are in
vited to attend the annual ball of the
Shoemakers' Club, X. G. O., to be
held in Haymarket Hall, til
1887" The name of the club and
the cabalistic letters vary each night
; in the week and i may be explained,
for fear of misunderstanding, that
no such club in reality exists as that
. mentioned on the ticket. But when
the police detective comes to testify
! that he paid an admission to enter
the dance hall on such an evening
the court will be confronted with q
+ properly drawn contract conveying
the premises for the night specified
!, to certain persons who are prepared
to come forward and admit the cor
rectuess of the allegations in the
lease. The proprietors, however
I are not quite bold enough to carr!
the scheme to its furthest. Within
a few days strong drinks have beer
f suspended, and the tariff on gin:
pop, lemonade and settler has beer
; trebled. The dancing continues, bu
not even the most knowing, confden
h tial wink can induce the water tt
produce whisky or the barkeeper tt
nnsh forward q decanter of brandy